USPTO Patents Application 09910656

Application No. 09/910,656
Response Filed Concurrently With RCE

Docket No.: 117891-156739

Listing of the Claims :

The following is a complete listing of the claims pending in the application, as
amended:

1 . (Canceled)

2. (Canceled)

3. (Currently Amended) The method of c l a i m 2 claim 44 , wherein
retrieving the identified portion of the plurality of subsidiary data comprises obtaining the
identified portion from the storage, wherein the storage is a local nonvolatile storage
medium of a set-top system.

4. (Canceled)

5. (Canceled)

6. (Currently Amended) The method of claim 44, wherein the primary
content data comprises data of at least one of a television broadcast, a digital satellite
broadcast, and an Internet broadcast , and an aud i o - on l y broadcast .

7. (Currently Amended) The method of claim 44, wherein transm i tt i ng a
r e pr e s e ntat i on of a us e r i nt e rfac e compr i s e s transm i tt i ng a r e pr e s e ntat i on of a the user
interface that furth e r fac ili tat e s is further configured to facilitate entry of one or more
search terms for searching the storage to locate one or more portions of subsidiary
data.

8. (Canceled)

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Application No. 09/910,656
Response Filed Concurrently With RCE

Docket No.: 117891-156739

9. (Currently Amended) The method of claim 44, further comprising
retrieving, by the subsidiary data control device , the subsidiary data from a remote
server.

10. (Previously Presented) The method of claim 44, wherein the identified
portion comprises at least one of reference information regarding a program of the
primary content data, biographical information regarding actors, guests or participants of
a program of the primary content data.

11 -13. (Canceled)

14. (Currently Amended) The non-transitory machine-readable storage
medium of claim 45, wherein the i nstruct i ons aro further conf i gured to causo tho sot - top
system to operations further comprise:

storo tho storing the identified subsidiary data locally i n tho sot - top system .

15-1 7. (Canceled)

18. (Currently Amended) The non-transitory machine-readable storage
medium of claim 45, wherein the m e thod operations further compr i s e s comprise:

facilitating entry, through the user interface, of one or more search terms for
searching the storage to locate a portion of subsidiary data.

19. (Canceled)

20. (Currently Amended) The non-transitory machine-readable storage
medium of claim 45, wherein the i nstruct i ons aro further conf i gured to causo tho sot - top

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Application No. 09/910,656
Response Filed Concurrently With RCE

Docket No.: 117891-156739

retrieveinq the identified subsidiary data from a remote server.

21. (Currently Amended) The non-transitory machine-readable storage
medium of claim 45, wherein the portions of subsidiary data comprise at least one of
reference information regarding a program of the primary content data, biographical
information regarding the actors, guests or participants of a program of the primary
content data.

22. (Currently Amended) The non-transitory machine-readable storage
medium of claim 18, wherein the method operations further compr i ses comprise:

retrieving the located portion of subsidiary data independently of the primary
content data.

23-25. (Canceled)

26. (Previously Presented) The entertainment system of claim 46, wherein
the storage database is stored in a local nonvolatile storage medium.

27. (Canceled)

28. (Canceled)

29. (Currently Amended) The entertainment system of claim 46, wherein
the storage database includes an identification of a remote server from which subsidiary
data may bo is to be retrieved and wherein the controller is further configured to roquost
rotr i ova l of retrieve the subsidiary data from the identified remote server.

30. (Previously Presented) The entertainment system of claim 46, wherein
the plurality of portions of subsidiary data comprises at least one of reference

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Application No. 09/910,656
Response Filed Concurrently With RCE

Docket No.: 117891-156739

information regarding a program of the primary content data, biographical information
regarding the actors, guests or participants of a program of the primary content data.

31. (Currently Amended) The entertainment system of claim 46, wherein the
controller is further configured to retrieve the portion of subsidiary data in response to
i nput of a search term , tho soarch form be i ng i nput through received via a user
interface.

32. (Canceled)

33. (Currently Amended) The entertainment system of claim 46 further
comprising a second controller coupled to the controller and configured to combine the
primary content data with the identified subsidiary data and to forward the combined
data to the display.

34. (Previously Presented) The entertainment system of claim 46 wherein
the controller is further configured to receive and store the subsidiary data in the storage
database.

35. (Previously Presented) The entertainment system of claim 46 wherein
the controller is further configured to provide the user interface to allow searching of the
storage database with one or more search terms.

36. (Previously Presented) The entertainment system of claim 46 wherein
the controller is further configured to provide access to a programming guide.

37. (Previously Presented) The entertainment system of claim 46 wherein
the controller is further configured to provide a user interface allowing input for toggling
between display of the subsidiary data and display of the primary content data.

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Application No. 09/910,656
Response Filed Concurrently With RCE

Docket No.: 117891-156739

38-43. (Canceled)

44. (Currently Amended) A method comprising:

receiving, at a subsidiary data control device , a plurality of portions of subsidiary
data from an external source for storing at a storage, the portions
including respective time values corresponding to times within a duration
of a video content program encoded by primary content data, the time
values identifying respective portions of subsidiary data as being
associated with corresponding time segments of the primary content data,
the primary content data to be displayed over a plurality of time segments
and the subsidiary data being received separately from the primary data
via vertical blanking intervals (VBIs) of one or more other video content
programs transmitted before transmission of the video content program ;

transmitting, by the subsidiary data control device , a representation of a user
interface to a display device, wherein the user interface is configured to
facilitate accessing the storage, identifying a portion of the subsidiary data,
and retrieving the identified portion; and

generating, by the subsidiary data control device , an output signal that causes
the display device to present visually the identified portion of the
subsidiary data, the identified portion being received and retrieved
independently of receiving the primary content data.

45. (Currently Amended) A tang i b le non-transitory machine-readable
storage medium having stored thereon programm i ng cod e compr i s i ng i nstruct i ons to
machine-readable instructions which , in response to being executed, cause a sot top
system to perform a method operations, the operations comprising:

receiving a plurality of portions of subsidiary data from an external source for
storing at a storage, the portions including respective time values
corresponding to times within a duration of a video content program

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Application No. 09/910,656
Response Filed Concurrently With RCE

Docket No.: 117891-156739

encoded by primary content data, the time values respectively identifying
corresponding portions of subsidiary data as being associated with
corresponding time segments of the primary content data, the primary
content data to be displayed over a plurality of time segments, the
subsidiary data being received separately from primary data via vertical
blanking intervals (VBIs) of one or more other video content programs
transmitted before transmission of the video content program ;

transmitting a representation of a user interface to a display device, wherein the
user interface is configured to facilitate accessing of the storage,
identifying a portion of the subsidiary data, and retrieving the identified
portion of the subsidiary data; and

generating an output signal that causes the display device to present visually the
identified portion of the subsidiary data, the identified portion being
received and retrieved independently of receiving the primary content
data.

46. (Currently Amended) An entertainment system comprising:
a data receiver configured to receive a plurality of portions of subsidiary data
from an external source for storing, the portions including respective time
values corresponding to times within a duration of a video content
program encoded by primary content data, the time values respectively
identifying a corresponding portion of subsidiary data as being associated
with a time segment of the primary content data, the primary content data
to be displayed over a plurality of time segments and the subsidiary data
received separately from the primary content data via vertical blanking
intervals (VBIs) of one or more other video content programs transmitted
before transmission of the video content program ;

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Application No. 09/910,656
Response Filed Concurrently With RCE

Docket No.: 117891-156739

a storage database configured to store the plurality of portions of subsidiary data
prior to receipt of the primary content data, the portions including the
corresponding time values; and

a controller coupled to the data receiver and the storage database to retrieve a
portion of the subsidiary data and forward the portion to a display prior to
receiving the primary content data, the portion being retrieved in response
to input received through a user interface, the input selecting the portion of
subsidiary data for display independently of the primary content data.

47. (New) A method for providing video content, comprising:
receiving subsidiary data associated with a video program of primary content
data at a video control device via vertical blanking intervals (VBIs) of
another video program, wherein the other video program is broadcast
before broadcast of the video program, and wherein the subsidiary data
includes time values correlated to time segments of the video program
and to respective portions of the subsidiary data;
storing, by the video control device, the received subsidiary data in a storage
device;

receiving, at a video control device, a search term;

identifying, by the video control device, a portion of the subsidiary data based at

least in part on the received search term;
retrieving, from the storage device, the identified portion of the subsidiary data;

and

transmitting, from the video control device to a display device, a video output
signal which includes the retrieved identified portion of the subsidiary data.